When I was a student in the 1960s I lived in London on £5 a week and half of this went on rent. Beer was one shilling and threepence a pint, so £2.50 could buy 40 pints. Now a similar student on £200 a week, with beer in London at £5 a pint, could only buy 20 pints. It’s no wonder drinkers find pubs unaffordable (High cost of a pint could call time on pubs, 6 August).
Ian McAdam
Godalming, Surrey
• In your weather forecast (7 August): “There is a risk of rain on Thursday in the south-east.” Why “risk”? All weather forecasters, on BBC and in print seem to use this threat. Would not “hope” be a better word? In the part of sunny Hertfordshire where we live I am sick and tired of lugging heavy watering cans up and down the garden every night to keep my vegetables alive.
Margaret Baker
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
• Peter Cruttwell (Letters, 7 August) believes that depreciation charged in the accounts reduces a company’s tax liability. That expense is ignored by HMRC. Instead, a company may reduce its tax liability by claiming capital allowances – including writing down allowances, first year allowances and annual investment allowance.
Michael Robinson
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
• Re memories of Denis Healey (Letters, passim), in 1965 I was hitchhiking round northern Italy as a 19-year-old student. In a small shop in Riva del Garda, I bought what proved to be their last copy of the Observer, whereupon an instantly recognisable voice boomed: “Would you mind if ah just had a quick shufti? Ah do need to keep in touch.” I happily acceded to the defence secretary’s courteous request.
Derek Robinson
Wirksworth, Derbyshire
• No Morris Minor correspondence on Tuesday? Have we finally reached the end of the road? Surely it can be kept running, at least until the 70th anniversary of its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show on 20 September 1948?
Adrian Brodkin
London
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with other Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread in our print edition
